Apparatus and methods for truncating elongated members

Abstract

A cutting tool for truncating elongated structural members has a frame with a pair of parallel siderails connected at a first end by a support plate and at a second end by a removable end gate, the frame having an open center adapted to receive the structural member therethrough. The truncating is performed by a fixed penetrating cutting edge on an end gate and a driven penetrating blade slidably disposed within the frame to advance towards the end gate. The end gate has two integral penetrating cutting edges pointing in opposite directions. The driven penetrating blade and the fixed penetrating cutting edge may have concave cutting edges relative to one another and configured to be adjacent to one another along the travel of the driven penetrating blade. Alternately, an end gate second cutting edge may be directed to the opening within the frame and have a piercing V-shaped cutting edge.

I claim: 
     
       1. A cutting tool for truncating elongated structural members, said cutting tool comprising:
 a frame with a pair of parallel siderails being a first siderail and a second siderail connected at a first end by a support plate and at a second end by a removable end gate, the frame having an open center adapted to receive one of the structural members therethrough, 
 an integral fixed penetrating first cutting edge on a first side of the end gate open to the open center of the frame, 
 a driven penetrating blade slidably disposed within the frame, and 
 a mechanism connected to the driven penetrating blade to drive the driven penetrating blade towards the structural member to sever the structural member, and 
 slidable mounts to secure and guide the driven penetrating blade on the frame to allow for movement across the open center of the frame towards the integral fixed penetrating first cutting edge, 
 wherein the end gate has an integral second cutting edge pointing in an opposite direction to the integral fixed penetrating first cutting edge of the end gate; 
 wherein the driven penetrating blade and the integral fixed penetrating first cutting edge have concave cutting edges relative to one another and configured to be adjacent to one another along a travel of the driven penetrating blade; 
 wherein the end gate connections to the pair of parallel siderails is 
 a pivotable removable mount by a first pin on the first siderail and 
 a lockable extendable and retractable mount by a second pin on the second siderail, and 
 wherein the end gate pivots about the pivotable removable mount in response to activation by a hydraulic cylinder on a plane horizontal to a plane of the integral second cutting edge of the end gate; and 
 wherein the lockable extendable and retractable mount extends and retracts in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the integral second cutting edge of the end gate in response to activation of a hydraulic cylinder of the lockable extendable and retractable mount. 
 
     
     
       2. The cutting tool of  claim 1 , wherein each of the cutting edges has a single bevel. 
     
     
       3. The cutting tool of  claim 2 , wherein an angle of the bevel of the driven penetrating blade is positioned to tilt and direct the structural member away from the frame of the cutting tool and towards the end gate during cutting, the leading edges of the cutting edges being adjacent to one another,
 wherein the driven penetrating blade is a 2 inches thick plate and a length of the bevel is 3 inches, and 
 wherein the bevel of the driven penetrating blade slopes downwardly to the cutting edge relative to a top of the cutting tool having suspension cables. 
 
     
     
       4. The cutting tool of  claim 1 , wherein the cutting edge of the driven penetrating blade and the cutting edge of the integral fixed penetrating first cutting edge define a frame opening. 
     
     
       5. The cutting tool of  claim 3 , wherein the frame opening is generally circular when both edges initially meet each other. 
     
     
       6. The cutting tool of  claim 1 , wherein the driven penetrating blade is partial oblong shape. 
     
     
       7. The cutting tool of  claim 1 , wherein the first cutting edge of the driven penetrating blade defines a collective concave profile corresponding to a profile of the structural member. 
     
     
       8. The cutting tool of  claim 1 , wherein an angle of a bevel on the cutting edges is in a range of 25-75 degrees. 
     
     
       9. The cutting tool of  claim 8 , wherein the angle of the bevel on the cutting edges is 45 degrees. 
     
     
       10. A cutting tool for truncating elongated structural members, said cutting tool comprising:
 a frame with a pair of parallel siderails being a first siderail and a second siderail connected at a first end by a support plate and at a second end by a removable end gate, 
 the frame having an open center adapted to receive one of the structural members therethrough, 
 an integral fixed penetrating first V-shaped piercing cutting edge on a first side of the end gate, 
 an integral fixed penetrating second partial circular shaped cutting edge on a second side of the end gate pointing in an opposite direction to the integral fixed penetrating first V-shaped piercing cutting edge, 
 a driven penetrating blade having a concave partial circular cutting edge slidably disposed within the frame, 
 wherein the end gate is selectable to direct either the integral fixed penetrating first V-shaped piercing cutting edge or the integral fixed penetrating second circular shaped cutting edge towards the open center, 
 a mechanism connected to the driven penetrating blade to drive the driven penetrating blade towards the structural member to sever the structural member, 
 slidable mounts to secure and guide the driven penetrating blade on the frame to allow for movement across the open center of the frame towards whichever of the integral fixed penetrating first V-shaped piercing cutting edge or the integral fixed penetrating second circular shaped cutting edge is directed to the open center, 
 wherein the end gate connections to the pair of parallel siderails is 
 a first lockable extendable and retractable mount by a first pin on the first siderail and 
 a second lockable extendable and retractable mount by a second pin on the second siderail, and 
 wherein the first pin and the second pin extend and retract in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the end gate cutting edges in response to activation of a first hydraulic cylinder and a second hydraulic cylinder respectively.